02 January 2012

Street photography is in fact a report. It can also be a memorial snapshot, or one taken straight from a family album. It does not need to be taken in the city, in the street – it can as well be shot in the depth of a forest, or in the middle of nowhere. Nowadays this photographic trend – certainly documentary and totally true, although sometimes it’s hard to believe – is a strong attraction for the photographers from all over the world.

The exhibition of more than 30 world’s best street photographers – selected by Sophie Howarth and Stephen McLaren, authors of an album on street photography – shall be accompanied by a presentation of works by Polish photographers.

„Street Photography Here and Now”. We do not wish to claim that “street” was invented by us, nor that it is our national trend. We just notice that plenty of people take photographs in the street. Paradoxically, not all of them are called street photos.

Capturing amusing moments of the daily life, catching people red-handed and at moments of oblivion, pointing out absurdities – this is what street photographers do. The spectators can laugh, can see a haiku-like concise story, but most of all they have the pleasure of looking at scenes which they pass in the streets. Common. Everyday. Unnoticeable when they occur.

Feel invited to get to know the Polish variety of street photo. Next to foreign photos, taken abroad, we show ours (and not only ours) backyards, streets and alleys – through the eyes of mostly young people, not necessarily professional photographers. Some of them feel they continue in the footsteps of Eliott Erwitt or Robert Doisneau, others claim to be unsullied like Henri Lartigue. Yet others leave their desks at 4:00 PM, when the sun shines its magic, and yield to the rhythm of their cities.

The exhibition is organized in cooperation with Third Floor Gallery from Cardiff, University of Wales in Newport and with the Thames & Hudson publishing house.

There are workshops with Przemysław Pokrycki (7.01), Mimi Mollica (8.01) and Bruce Gilden (14-15) and some lectures and discussions.
Thanks to Magda Wajda-Kacmajor for translation. Curators of "international" part are: Maciej Dakowicz, Joni Karanka and Bartosz Nowicki: Third Floor Gallery. Curator of Polish part is Joanna Kinowska. Hope to see you here :>